Objective: To explore the feasibility of using laser Doppler blood flow monitoring technology to make a stable cerebral infarction model of middle cerebral artery in rats.
Method: 16 SD male rats were randomly divided into 2 groups: 8 experimental group and 8 control group. The experimental group judged that the cerebral blood flow decreased to 30% of the basic value during the model making process as a successful model making; the control group did not monitor the cerebral blood flow, and inserted the nylon cord at a depth of 1.8 cm as judged successful model making. Nerve injury severity scores (mNSS) were performed before and 24 hours after the model; rats were sacrificed 24 hours after the model, and the brains were taken, and 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) was performed. Stain and calculate the cerebral infarct volume.
Results: The 8 rats in the experimental group all developed typical hemiplegia symptoms 24 hours after the model, the mNSS score was stable at 10 to 13 points, and the infarct volume stability and uniformity were good (37.5±3.9)%. The 8 rats in the control group had poor mNSS score stability. 5 rats had mNSS scores ranging from 10 to 13 points. The cerebral infarction of 5 rats was similar to the experimental group, but 3 rats had cerebral infarction. The volume was significantly smaller than the experimental group (P<0.05). The model success rate of the experimental group was 100%, and the model success rate of the control group was 62.5% (P<0.05).
Conclusion: Laser Doppler blood flow monitoring technology can significantly improve the success rate, stability and uniformity of the rat MCAO model.